848 posts, 62 filled: Supreme Court directs Chhattisgarh to fast-track appointment of special educators

The Supreme Court has directed the Chhattisgarh government to expedite the process of appointing special educators in the state, while taking note of the acute shortage of trained personnel for children with special needs.

Hearing matters related to the appointment of special educators, the apex court observed that although 848 posts have been sanctioned in Chhattisgarh, only 100 posts were advertised on October 3, 2025. Of these, 62 teachers possessing qualifications prescribed by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) have been appointed so far, while the appointment of the remaining 38 candidates has been kept pending over issues related to Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualifications.

The court also took note of the state government’s affidavit dated November 6, 2025, which stated that 155 persons are currently working as Block Resource Persons at the elementary level on a contractual basis, while 85 special educators are engaged at the secondary level on a fixed honorarium.

According to the affidavit, a Screening Committee in terms of the court’s earlier order dated March 7, 2025, was constituted on June 16, 2025.

The Supreme Court directed the state government to call all 155 Block Resource Persons and 85 special educators before the Screening Committee along with their credentials. The court ordered that those possessing RCI-prescribed qualifications and other requisite eligibility criteria should be considered for appointment against vacant posts.

The bench directed the authorities to complete the exercise preferably within two months and submit an action taken report before the court when the matter is taken up again in July 2026.

The court further clarified that once all eligible Block Resource Persons and special educators are considered and suitable candidates are appointed, the state government would be free to issue fresh advertisements to fill the remaining vacant posts.

While passing the directions, the Supreme Court also took into account the state government’s submission that Chhattisgarh has more than 49,000 Children with Special Needs (CWSN), whereas the estimated requirement of special educators in the state stands at 3,981 posts.

The observations came amid growing concerns over the shortage of trained special educators in government schools and the need to strengthen inclusive education for children with disabilities across the state. AOR Kaustubh Shukla appeared on behalf of the petitioners in the Supreme Court in the Chhattisgarh special educators case.